Who’s hot and who’s not: Portia Woodman-Wickliffe ‘out on her own’ while Owen Farrell and Nigel Owens ‘take heat’
Portia Woodman-Wickliffe scored her 50th try for New Zealand on Sunday.
It’s time for our Monday wrap of who has their name in lights and who is making the headlines for all the wrong reasons after the weekend.
THEY’RE ON FIRE!
Portia Woodman-Wickliffe: What an achievement from the Black Ferns veteran as she hits the 50 try mark in international rugby on just her 30th Test. The first-half score against Japan saw Woodman-Wickliffe move out on her own at the summit of New Zealand international try scorers, going one ahead of the great Doug Howlett. The strike rate is out of this world as in comparison Howlett scored his 49 tries in 62 outings. What a player the 34-year-old has been and still is for the Kiwis.
Tamaiti Williams deal: Talk about locking down a prized asset. Williams is highly thought of in New Zealand and beyond, so tying up his long-term future was key. The 25-year-old has inked a four-year deal that keeps him in the black jersey for the 2027 Rugby World Cup and 2029 British & Irish Lions, and it’s not just great news for the All Blacks as this contract of course means the prop will be turning out for the Crusaders in Super Rugby Pacific and possibly Canterbury in the NPC.
Willis Halaholo’s debut: The former Wales centre made his debut for Tonga on Saturday as he came on in the 77th minute of their Pacific Nations Cup match against Fiji. Ex-Cardiff star Halaholo, who won the last of his nine Wales caps in 2022, had let the three-year gap run its course and was therefore eligible for Tonga due to his family heritage. While some are sceptical over eligibility, good news stories like this are the reason it was brought in. What a moment for Halaholo and his family.
Record Japan victory: Staying with the Pacific Nations Cup, and there was a record win over Canada for the Brave Blossoms as they blew away their opponents in a 57-15 pool victory in Sendai. Beating the 46-8 margin they set in 2009, Eddie Jones’ Japan were dominant as they kicked off their pool campaign with an impressive triumph.
Red Roses shine again: Ruthless was the most apt word to describe England’s second performance of the Women’s Rugby World Cup as they steamrolled Samoa 92-3 at Franklin’s Gardens, scoring 14 tries in the process. Helena Rowland impressed with a massive 27-point haul as John Mitchell’s side threw down a marker to their title rivals. Last up in the pools is Australia with Canada, Scotland, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa and France the other unbeaten sides remaining.
Griquas sitting pretty: First met second in the Currie Cup on Friday evening as the Free State Cheetahs faced Griquas in Bloemfontein. It was a fine performance from the visitors as they cruised to a 40-10 triumph that puts them on top of the standings with just one round of the regular season remaining. They have another tough fixture coming this week at the Golden Lions as the battle for semi-final spots reaches its climax, but in this form, could Griquas fans start dreaming of title glory?
Stags win the Ranfurly Shield: For the first time in 12 years, Southland claimed three consecutive wins and, in doing so, clinched the Ranfurly Shield. The Stags took the Shield off Waikato with an impressive 25-10 in Hamilton, winning the trophy for just the eighth time in their history. They will now defend the Shield against Canterbury who remain the only unbeaten team in the NPC this season.
COLD AS ICE!
Owen Farrell criticism: Another ex-Racing 92 player has copped some flak from the club’s president Jacky Lorenzetti as now Saracens player Farrell was in the firing line of a spray. Lorenzetti says he felt “betrayed” by Farrell after he missed several Racing 92 games but then turned out for the British and Irish Lions in Australia. “I felt like throwing up,” he told L’Équipe. “He left us saying: ‘I’m injured, I have a headache (following a concussion picked up in May), I want to play less. Saracens are offering me this opportunity.’ And suddenly, we find him with the Lions. It’s something I don’t understand. It’s called lying.” Airing dirty laundry is rarely wise, but Lorenzetti has form after publicly criticising Siya Kolisi in the past.
Nigel Owens takes heat: The former referee’s Whistle Watch videos have become a staple on World Rugby’s social media pages, but the latest piece has backfired big style. The title of ‘Were the Wallabies robbed’ in their loss to the Springboks opened Owens up to a barrage of criticism from all quarters, as many felt the video opens the door to exactly what World Rugby has been eager to stamp out, the criticism of match officials. The poor choice of words for the headline was of course not Owens’ doing, but that didn’t stop him from being a lightning rod for complaints. The video was later deleted by World Rugby, and one wonders how next week’s offering will fare.
Sad Shane Christie news: The sport was rocked on Wednesday after learning of the death of former Maori All Blacks, Highlanders and Tasman flanker Shane Christie at the age of 39. He died in Nelson on Wednesday morning of a suspected suicide. Christie’s playing career ended in 2017 at the age of 32, one year after he started experiencing serious concussion symptoms. The outpouring of grief from former team-mates and clubs shows how much this special player and coach will be missed, and it has also shone a light on the subject of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), as Christie had campaigned for more support for brain-damaged former players.
Problems for Wallabies: An 11-man injury list and the absence of Will Skelton is not what Joe Schmidt needs going into a crucial Round Three fixture against the Pumas, but that’s where he finds himself. Dylan Pietsch, Tom Wright, Langi Gleeson, Ben Donaldson, Charlie Cale, Massimo De Lutiis, Matt Faessler, Jake Gordon, Noah Lolesio, Luke Reimer and Liam Wright are all on the sidelines. While those are offset by the returns of Tom Lynagh and Harry Potter and the addition of Pete Samu, it is a tough spot the Wallabies find themselves in, especially with such a sizeable absence in second-row Skelton after he was recalled by his Top 14 club La Rochelle.
Wales first to fall: A 42-0 defeat to a strong Canada side ended Wales’ hopes of making the World Cup knockout stages, this coming after they had fallen 38-8 to Scotland on the opening weekend. There’s now just pride to play for against Fiji this weekend as Sean Lynn’s side looks to finish their campaign on a positive note.
